NYSEG Upgrades will Improve System Performance in Chemung County

Improvements to infrastructure includes more than eight miles of power lines and 340 poles aim to reduce power interruptions for thousands of customers in Van Etten Township and Erin Township

 

NYSEG urges motorists to exercise caution while driving through work zones to keep crews safe

 

ELMIRA, NY — May 16, 2024 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) are making system upgrades to improve performance for customers in Chemung County. NYSEG is installing approximately 8.4 miles of 34.5kv tie line between the 570 circuit that serves the Van Etten Township and the Ridge Road 501 circuit that serves Erin Township. A tie line connects two adjacent circuits, allowing sections of those circuits to be temporarily powered by one another in the event of an outage or emergency. The Company urges motorists to use caution while driving through work zones to keep crews safe.

“These upgrades are key to minimizing outage durations and aims to reduce the number of outages for our customers in the area. The tie line provides a redundant power source to temporarily restore power to sections of either circuit depending on the location of the damage, which was not available before.” said Drew Canfield, project manager of Distribution Line Projects for NYSEG. “The new tie line will also be located closer to roads, allowing better access, quicker repair, and restoration times by crews.”

The Company is also installing new remotely operated “SCADA” devices, enabling NYSEG to remotely switch which circuit is powering the main line segments in the area and will help to isolate damaged segments reducing the number of customers & businesses affected. This technology, along with added manual isolation switches, will provide line crews more flexibility to isolate damaged line segments and restore power to undamaged sections. Some of the SCADA devices will have reclose capability, allowing them to automatically detect if a fault has cleared, and if so, restore power.

“NYSEG’s system upgrades will greatly improve service to Chemung County and strengthen dependability and emergency response times for area customers,” said New York State Senator Tom O’Mara. “It’s a timely and important project to minimize outages as well as to get power restored faster in the future.”

“We are thrilled to see NYSEG investing in our rural community when interruptions in power currently happens frequently in our town,” said Town of Erin Supervisor Dawn Burlew Schmidt. “Living in a rural area should not mean residents lose power when the wind blows, so this upgrade is very welcomed by our town residents.”

“It’s a good thing seeing what NYSEG is doing to improve service,” said Van Etten Town Supervisor George Keturi. “Just be patient. It won’t take long.”

Approximately 340 new poles will also be installed in the area, along with new wires. These will strengthen the system and protect it from damage, minimizing future outages. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. This project is an example of critical investments highlighted in the Company’s recent rate case that are necessary to improve system reliability and resiliency.  

 

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